Listen to the world’s best poetry read out loud.
Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2025: Ihmeköynnös
by Amílcar Peter Sanatan
Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2025: Ihmeköynnös
Miracle vine used to grow around my window.
My mother’s not here, nor her spade.
Still, I walk this city like her backyard,
believing flowerbeds outlive
this season’s wry outlook and my limited days.
When snow falls,
I think of you.
I remember Uncle Neville’s breaks,
cigarette to his lips, after a whole morning
digging ground provisions.
Banana trees or sky-blue plastic chairs—
it doesn’t matter.
This pen, between my fingers,
faults and folds for you.
In Helsinki, I’ve taken no leave
from stalactites and stalagmites
that shaped my teeth.
Salty sea breeze bites
behind my ear and neck,
to my wife’s scorn.
The density I grasp on these empty streets is
a star-lit night.
Though they don’t shine for me,
they fuse and form for you.
A special thank you to our WordView 2025 poets.
Hear from some our winners this year on what the Archive and winning has meant to them:
"I feel deeply grateful to be taking part in the chorus of voices honoured by PAN Worldwide 2025. Leonard Cohen famously sang that “every heart to love will come, but like a refugee.” For me, the same might be said of poetry. I came to the writing of it late, and thank The Poetry Archive for providing the encouragement to continue being brave in sharing it." - Michelle Robin Visser.
"I think it shows the importance of live spoken word to share poetry as equally as the printed word for some audiences." - Steve Harrison.
"Being part of the PAN Worldwide 2025 collection alongside 17 incredible poets from across the globe is both an honour and a reminder of the unifying power of poetry. Moving forward, I think this experience will stay with me, it has encouraged me to continue writing with honesty and openness, and to remember that my voice is part of something much larger than myself." - Panya Banjoko.
See the collectionWatch the full Wordview 2025 playlist